ELMIRA, N.Y.  – The Elmira College Women's Basketball team moved to 3-0 on the season with an 80-64 victory over the Wildcats from Cazenovia College on Wednesday evening.  Taylor Albrecht '22 paced the Soaring Eagles offensively, providing 24 points while Desiree Roy '25 added 18 points and 14 rebounds. The Soaring Eagles used a 25-16 advantage in the 4^th quarter to put the game away, large part to their press break against the Wildcats.

JUST THE BASICS :
Location: Elmira, New York | Speidel Gymnasium
Score: Elmira: 80, Cazenovia: 64 
Records: Elmira: (3-0, 0-0 Empire 8), Cazenovia (1-3, 0-0 North Atlantic) 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED :
Elmira jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead in the first four minutes of the game as both Roy and Albrecht scored four points in the early going. Despite the early lead, the Soaring Eagles were held scoreless over the final two minutes of the opening frame as the Wildcats used a 5-0 run to end the period with EC leading 15-13.
 
In the second, the Wildcats brought the Soaring Eagle lead to as low as one point before Elmira exploded on a 9-0 run, extending their lead to 31-21 with under two minutes remaining. After the teams traded buckets, Elmira took a 36-24 lead into the break. In the opening half, the Soaring Eagles shot 14-of-40 from the floor (35.0%), forcing 13 Wildcat turnovers.
 
The Wildcats adjusted out of the break and outscored Elmira 24-19 in the third quarter which cut the Purple & Gold lead to just seven with the game heading to the fourth quarter. In the final frame, the Wildcats used a full court press, which the Soaring Eagles successfully broke on multiple occasions which led to 2-on-1 opportunities on the offensive end. EC was able to extend their lead to as much as 19 points in the quarter before finishing the game with a 80-64 victory.
 
On the night, the Soaring Eagles were able to use 21 offensive rebounds to their advantage while forcing 22 Wildcat turnovers. Elmira's 22 forced turnovers per game ranks 2^nd in the NCAA (3^rd in steals per game) in the early going behind New Jersey City, who has played just one game this season.
 
Both Nevaeh Winston '25 and Olivia Ayres '25 earned career-high in scoring, dropping 10 and 15 points respectively with Ayres converting on 5-of-9 shots from beyond the arc.

ELMIRA LEADERS (31-of-81, 38.3 percent from the field)  
Taylor Albrecht  – 24 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Desiree Roy – 18 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists
Olivia Ayres – 15 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists
Nevaeh Winston – 10 points, 8 rebounds
 
CAZENOVIA LEADERS (24-of-60, 40.0 percent from the field)
Arrianna Henry – 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Bailey Bennett – 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
Lucia Liverio – 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
 
UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles hit the road for a pair of matchups with Mount Holyoke College on Saturday and Sunday. Tipoff on Saturday is set for 2:00 PM before Elmira returns to the court on Sunday at 1:00 PM.